Nguyen Hue pedestrian street opens to the public on April 29, 2015. Photo: Pham Huu

Ho Chi Minh City government has issued a list of dos and don'ts for pedestrians on Nguyen Hue, the city’s newly opened walking street, including a ban on all pets.

The selling of coffee, inline skating and sitting on picnic blankets on the street are also strictly prohibited.

The US$19.7 million Nguyen Hue pedestrian street has become a new tourist attraction in HCMC downtown since it opened to the public on April 29, 2015 as part of the city's celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

On May 17, the city inaugurated a new statue of President Ho Chi Minh on the street to celebrate his 125th birthday.

It is also installing 160 wooden benches along the street. The benches have been made from timber of large, century-old trees in front of the Saigon Opera House, which were felled last July to make room for the city’s first subway station.